[Detected special fluctuation, triggering simulator special opportunity "Lost Ancient Sword."]
[By sheer coincidence, the Lost Ancient Sword of the Faerie Kingdom has resurfaced and will soon be auctioned off in Gloucester.]
[To prevent this artifact from falling into the wrong hands, please proceed to Gloucester and retrieve the weapon.]
[After successfully recovering the weapon, you may select one follower and randomly grant them a special skill.]
[The sword is named 'Fate's Blade,' and it must not be tarnished.]
"I have an idea!"
After reading through the sudden opportunity, Artoria immediately raised her head.
"Let's go to Gloucester for the auction!"
"Eh?"
Guinevere was stunned and looked up at Artoria, his face filled with shock.
He had been racking his brain to figure out how to convince Artoria to go to Gloucester, and yet, Artoria had volunteered the idea herself.
This...
Guinevere's mind suddenly jolted.
After all, he had learned about the auction and the sword from the simulator's prompt. In previous simulations, Artoria had never mentioned attending any auction. So, could it be...
An ominous thought suddenly popped into his head.
Is this... a multiplayer game?
His thoughts spiraled.
Wait—does that mean he had been interacting with the real Artoria all along, and not just an NPC?
Were they... in an online relationship?
Guinevere felt a buzzing in his head, and he fumbled for something on the nightstand, trying to grab a cigarette to calm himself.
But wait, doesn't this world not have cigarettes?
No, wait, he doesn't even smoke!
After a few moments of confused searching, Guinevere pulled a long biscuit from the drawer, chewed on a piece, and then absentmindedly held the biscuit between his fingers. He blew out a breath, the taste of the biscuit lingering in the air.
His thoughts were scattered, his mind blank as his confusion raged. It felt like he was in a dream, where thoughts just floated aimlessly, like random, chaotic thoughts that had no rhythm or logic.
In the end, he could only mutter:
"Holy shit."
However, despite his jumbled thoughts, the simulator continued on without pause.
While his brain struggled to comprehend the situation, Oberon had already begun analyzing the matter.
"If we're talking about the Fate Blade, perhaps it's an essential part of completing the prophecy… You're right, we really need to go to Gloucester to get that sword."
"Yes!"
Oblivious to Guinevere's strange reaction, Artoria was just thrilled that she had successfully deceived everyone.
The excuse of the selected staff's reaction to the Fate Blade and the Chosen mission was perfect! Now, every time she needed to acquire a system item, she could just use these two reasons to cover her tracks!
"But… money?"
At that moment, Guinevere hesitantly spoke up:
"We… probably don't have enough money for an auction, right? And I remember that in Gloucester, you need an invitation to attend the auction?"
"Oh, that's not a problem. I have a bit of a relationship with Myrion, so we can sneak into the auction and sit in the VIP section."
Oberon shrugged casually.
"As for the money, I currently have 70 million Mora Pounds. That should be enough."
"70 million?!"
Guinevere's eyes widened in shock. That was no small amount! Even during the best of times, he had never been able to pool that kind of money together for the Round Table army.
"Cough, cough, just fake money," Oberon said with a light cough, "But we only need it to last through the auction. If necessary, I'll use my territory, the Welsh Forest, as collateral."
[After discussing, you all voted unanimously to head to Gloucester.]
[Before leaving, a faerie from the Fang Clan named Redra Bit stopped you. She claims to have been sent by Aurora to secretly assist you.]
[Redra Bit joins your party.]
[Since Redra Bit is a coachman, your movement speed has greatly increased.]
[One day later, you arrive in Gloucester.]